Shared Services in
Early Care and Education
A New Management Approach for
EHS/Child Care Partnerships
Louise Stoney April 1, 2014
What is a Partnership?
A type of business organization in which two or
more entities pool money, skills, and other
resources, and share profit and loss in accordance
with terms of the partnership agreement.
In absence of such agreement a partnership is
assumed to exist where the participants in an
enterprise agree to share the associated risks and
rewards proportionately.
Source: Business Dictionary:http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition partnership.html#ixzz2uojK3xIQ
Successful Partnerships
•
Partners have agreed-upon mission, values,
goals and measurable outcomes for the
partnership
•
The relationship between partners is
characterized by mutual trust, respect,
genuineness, and commitment
•
Power is balanced among partners and
resources are shared
HS/CC Partnership Challenges:
Unequal strength and access to resources
Typical Head Start:
•
Part of larger organization
with leadership team
(finance, HR, PD, quality
support, family support)
•
Revenue fairly stable, via
grants/contracts (maybe
supplemented by vouchers
and/or parent fees)
•
Accustomed to higher
per-child rates based on
enrollment
Typical Child Care:
•
Stand-alone center/home
with single leader
responsible for business +
pedagogical leadership
•
Revenue unstable, based
on enrollment, subsidy &
fee collection (few
grants/contracts)
•
Per-child rates rarely cover
cost and typically based on
attendance
Partnerships are h
ard… why bother?
Effective HS and CC partnerships can attain:
•
Scale
– Cost-effectively maximize all available slots in a
community
•
Financial Sustainability
– Diversity revenues, tapping all
available public and private funding streams
•
Programmatic Sustainability
– Ensure that ALL sites are
high-quality
•
Cost-Efficiency
– Shared administration can strengthen
efficiency and accuracy
•
Cultural, Linguistic, Economic Diversity
– Support
classrooms in a wide range of neighborhoods/settings for
diverse children and families
Core Principles of Shared Services
•
Shared Leadership
•
Shared Core Values
•
Shared Risk and Reward
•
More deeply engaged staff, who work in teams with
a network of sites
•
Central leadership focus on Power
With
vs Power
Over
To hear interviews with directors, teachers, administrators about how Shared Services supports quality, go to:
http://opportunities-exchange.org/wp-content/themes/vulcan/multimedia/
e Pedagogical Leadership Business Leadership
High
Quality
ECE
Shared Services
Approach to Leadership
• Business Leadership for stronger fiscal management:
• Increase revenues – fiscal staff focus closely on enrollment, fee collection, fundraising
• Better reporting – admin staff focus on timely submission of required reports, data,
• Reduce costs – maximize automation, joint purchasing, centralized administration
• Pedagogical Leadership for classrooms:
• Reflective practice
• Shared mentoring
• Learning communities across sites
• New models of leadership
How Shared Services Can
Support EHS/Child Care Partnerships
•
Economies of scale
• Application requires at least 75 slots
• Administrative costs are capped at 15% for entire grant
•
Economies of specialization
• Quality Assurance – accountability for EHS standards
• Professional Development – communities of practice across sites,
with shared leadership, staff, core values
• Comprehensive Services/Family Supports
•
Sustainability
• Tap funds beyond just EHS/CC grant
• Build strong infrastructure to weather economic storms and build links with prek classrooms for effective transition
Shared Services: Can Vary in Intensity
10
Information Sharing Intensive Collaborative Efforts
Examples
Intensive Alliances with solid results:
•
Chambliss Center for Children, Chattanooga TN (HS
Community Partner)
•
Early Connections Learning Centers, Colorado Springs
(EHS and HS Community Partner)
•
Sound Child Care Solutions, Seattle WA
•
The Community Group, Lawrence MA
•
All Our Kin, New Haven CT (EHS Delegate)
Chambliss Center for Children
Chattanooga TN
Large child care center (300 children) also provides to
management 5 off-site centers and 5 off-site classrooms
All sites high-quality: at top of TN QRIS; meeting HS performance standards; child assessment results positive
Central services include: Enrollment/billing (dual enrollment of HS children) Financial (payroll, benefits), HR and staff recruitment, food program administration, fund development, professional development, child assessment, maintenance, volunteers.
Staff in smaller sites now have better wages, health and retirement benefits, career ladder
All sites stronger and more sustainable
12 Mimi and Peter Haas Fund March 4, 2014
Early Connections Learning Centers
Colorado Springs CO
Includes 5 full-day/year centers, 2 school-based preschool centers, 2 off-site school-age programs, a drop-in facility at the Courthouse and a network of family child care homes.
Shared Services vary by site, but include:
• Billing/fee collection (including CACFP, subsidy, parent fees, etc.)
• Enrollment management and reporting, data, etc.
• Quality assurance (on-site TA, PD, classroom observations, curriculum support, cross-site learning communities, etc.)
• Child Outcome Assessment training and support
• Family involvement, medical support, literacy, bi-lingual staff
• Staff support, including HR, benefits, PD plans
Sound Child Care Solutions
Seattle WA
Consortium of 7 center licenses (28 classrooms
in multiple
locations) with centralized administration
Central functions (shared back-office):
• Financial – payroll, benefits, some billing
• Bulk purchasing goods and services
• Professional development system
• Accreditation support
• Mentoring
• Staff recruitment
• Substitute pool
Site Directors’ time freed up to focus on teacher supervision,
family relationships, quality early learning
All Our Kin
New Haven CT
Supports several family child care networks, including an
EHS-funded network (@ 24 slots in 10-12 homes).
Centralized supports include:
•
Financial support – EHS funding for home-based providers
•Quality support – on-site coaching, consultation,
individualized PD; warm line; monthly peer meetings
•
Classroom observations (ERS & CLASS)
•
Child Assessment
•
Nurse consultant
•
Family Advocate; Bi-lingual services
The Community Group
Lawrence MA
Serves over 1,000 children (infant - school-age) in 9 centers and 52 FCC homes. Also operates 3 charter schools (preK – 8th gr),
CCR&R, and manages turn-around in a low-performing public elementary school. A shared-back office supports all sites with:
• Fiscal (billing/fee collection, USDA food program, accounting, planning/audit/control)
• HR, health and pension benefits
• PD, including learning teams across sites
• Data analysis, including real-time teacher review of child assessment
• Fundraising and strategic planning
A Shared Services Center-Based
Approach to EHS/Child Care Partnership
Business Leadership
• Shared back office manages billing, fee collection, data, reporting, for ALL sites and all funding streams (efficiency + increased revenue)
• Financial support for slots; bulk purchasing of goods and services
Pedagogical Leadership
• Site-based leadership (director or supervising teacher) focused on EHS standards and child outcomes
• If sites are small, a single director can oversee several classrooms in multiple locations
• Shared professional development staff focused on supporting teacher training/education, mentoring, learning communities, reflective practice
• Shared family support staff focused on engagement/outreach, comprehensive services, developmental screening, etc.
A Shared Services FCC-Based
Approach to EHS/Child Care Partnership
Business Leadership
• Shared back office manages billing, fee collection, data, reporting, for ALL homes and all funding streams (Note: back office could also
support center-based ECE.)
• Financial support for slots; bulk purchase of goods and services
Pedagogical Leadership
• Shared PD staff to support FCC providers in obtaining CDA or AA
• Shared Child Development Specialist offers coaching/mentoring
• Shared family support staff focused on engagement/outreach, comprehensive services, developmental screening, etc.
Shared Services is a Framework
Shared Services is NOT…
• Simply a cost reduction method
• Just a provider network
• A HS grantee that offers only TA or comprehensive services to child care centers/homes
• The same in every community; one size does not fit all
Shared Services IS…
• A fundamental shift in management and staff roles/responsibilities – among the Hub agency and participants – with a focus on both Business and Pedagogical leadership
• Focused on finding economies of scale AND economies of specialization
• Based on shared leadership, shared core values, shared risk and reward
Shared Services Resources
•
Opportunities Exchange:
www.opportunities-exchange.org
• Profiles of current Alliances
• Peer networking
• Tools, such as examples of management agreements
• Articles and presentations
• Videos and multi-media
• And much more…
